Century 21 Racing Team Las Vegas Pre-Race
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Contact: Jon G. Knapp Phone: (704) 662-3121 Fax: (704) 662-3021
MARTINO HOPES THE THUNDER WILL ROLL IN LAS VEGAS Century 21 Racing Team looks forward to using their favorite race motor at the SummitRacing.com Nationals
Parsippany, N.J., April 4, 2001 - Visitors to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway are often treated to the thunder of the many magnificent Air Force jets taking off and landing at nearby Nellis Air Force Base. At this weekend's SummitRacing.com Nationals, however, Tom Martino hopes the loudest "thunderclap" will come from under the hood of his CENTURY 21 Racing Team Pro Stock Grand Am, where nestled in the engine compartment is Martino's favorite race motor, "Thunder".
"Thunder is back in the CENTURY 21 Grand Am," stated Martino. "And as everyone from my kids on up can tell you, I am always happy when my baby's in the car. Ironically, I can't really explain why it's my favorite, but I've gotten attached to it. About the only reason I can think of is that it has given us the least amount of trouble on rebuilds, always getting back to full power easily.
"There are some times when my sentiment has gotten the best of me. For example, there were a few races last year when V. Gaines, who was running one of our motors, had more power than we did because I refused to give Thunder up. Fortunately, we did some work on it during the last few weeks to get it back to where it's our best motor. After that, there was no question as to which engine we were going to use."
Tom Martino has been naming his powerplants since the CENTURY 21 Racing team started building their own motors in 1998. Most of the monikers used have their roots in one of Martino's three children, whether it be a nickname, such as "Bad Bubba" after eldest son Thomas Jr. and "Jesse" for daughter Jessica, or an area of interest, as in "T-Rex", after youngest son Vincent's passion for dinosaurs. Others are labeled with a promising outlook, such as "Big Money". In the case of "Thunder", the message is simple, one of pure power, something that, ironically, the Martino crew was able to find during their between-race maintenance.
"We put the engine we used in Houston on the dyno after our return and found it was down about ten to fifteen horsepower," explained Martino. "That probably cost us at least a hundredth in elapsed time and a full mile an hour in top speed. Considering how competitive we were despite that, it has us pretty excited going in to Vegas."
If there is one facility at which the stars of the NHRA love to shine, it is the magnificent Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since its debut a year ago, it has become the premier speedplant of the Winston Drag Racing Series. When combined with the atmosphere of the entertainment capital of the world, it makes for an event that every racer aspires to win.
"I'm really looking forward to going back to Las Vegas," explained Martino. "The atmosphere is simply electric and the facility is simply the best on our circuit. The track was amazingly good a year ago considering the heat and how green the surface was. Last year you couldn't even see a groove. With the rubber built on it from a year's worth of competition, we think it will be even better, and with cooler temperatures forecast, there could be some quick times recorded.
"Although winning in Las Vegas would be very special, right now, this CENTURY 21 Racing team is more focused on going rounds. You can't win the race if you go out in the first round. We're hoping to unload our Grand Am and continue our string of good runs. Our first priority is qualifying in the top half and getting lane choice. After that, we'll set our sights on our first opponent, and work on it from there. Who knows, may be we can get lucky in Las Vegas and have a "Thunder"-storm in the winner's circle!"
Martino Moments: Tom Martino will be participating at the NHRA Fanfest and Autograph Session, which will be held on Thursday, April 5 from 7-9 p.m. at the Race Rock Supercharged Restaurant, 495 Fremont Street, Las Vegas. For more information call (702) 382-RACE…
Fast Facts
WHAT: 2nd Annual SummitRacing.com Nationals, the fifth event on the 23-race 2001 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Schedule.
WHEN: April 5 - 8, 2001
WHERE: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada
SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two rounds on Friday, April 6 at 2:00 & 5:15 p.m., and concludes with two sessions at 10:45 noon & 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 7. Final eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 8.
TV: There will be two hours of qualifying highlights from Las Vegas on ESPN from 9:30 - 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7. On Sunday, April 8, there will be ninety minutes of early round highlights from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. on ESPN, followed by two hours of final round coverage from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. on ESPN2 (Times given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.) # # #